Don Sebastiani & Sons, the Sonoma-based, family-owned producer of leading wine and food products, today introduces a new line of super-premium tequilas, hand-crafted in Jalisco, Mexico, using traditional methods and 100% Blue Weber agave.

The launch of its new tequila line by the fourth generation of Sebastianis continues the family’s expansion of its 112-year wine business into complementary categories, including organic flavored sparkling water, snack foods, and now distilled spirits.

The three new tequila brands are:

Contigo, a clear, silver tequila (40% ABV), with smooth, sweet flavors of agave nectar, ruby grapefruit and blood orange. Twice distilled in stainless steel tanks, Contigo is a 50/50 blend of highland and lowland grown Blue Weber agave, aged for 59 days in oak barrels.

El Fumador, a golden bronze Reposado tequila (40% ABV) with flavors of vanilla, nuts, white chocolate, and a hint of oak. Twice distilled and aged for eight months in American oak whiskey barrels.

El Macho, a dark Añejo tequila (40% ABV) aged 24 months in American oak whiskey barrels, made from 50% highland and 50% lowland Blue Weber agave, imparting earthy and vegetal flavors with herbaceous, spicy characteristics and citrus fruitiness.

What sets these three tequilas apart are the traditional methods used in their production, which relies on the expertise of Master Distiller Augustin Sanchez, a 40-year veteran tequila distiller, and the reputation for quality products that extends across the wine, food and beverage portfolio of Don Sebastiani & Sons. All three tequilas are made from the fermented juice of the Blue Weber agave plant, grown and bottled in Mexico.

“Producing hand-crafted tequilas from Mexico’s finest blue agave is a natural for our company, as it furthers our goal to offer wine, food and beverage products that help people celebrate life’s occasions,” said Donny Sebastiani, President and CEO of Don Sebastiani & Co., and a member of the family’s fourth generation. “People know our family as producers of great wines, but increasingly we’re extending that reputation across numerous complementary food and beverage segments.” The goal, he explained, is “to elevate at-home entertaining with an array of complementary products to provide a ‘Happy Hour at home’ occasion.”

In September, Don Sebastiani & Sons launched Aqua, a line of organic flavored sparkling waters. In spring 2016, the company entered the snack foods category when it introduced U Gottabee Nutz, a line of seasoned dry-roasted nuts. According to Donny Sebastiani, the new product lines complement the company’s well established wine business, which includes such well-known labels as Smoking Loon, B Side, Pepperwood Grove, Il Donato, The Crusher, and Don & Sons.

“After 110 years of focusing on making superior California wines, it makes sense to apply that expertise to the tequila category,” Sebastiani said. “The underlying principles of making wine and tequila are essentially the same: start with great fruit, then rely on masters of the craft to transform it into a superior product suited to celebrating life’s important occasions. And for our family, that’s pretty much any occasion.”

Contigo, El Fumador and El Macho tequilas will be available in both restaurants and select retail stores across the United States in February 2017. Along with the launch, Don Sebastiani & Sons is releasing a variety of custom cocktails featuring Contigo and El Fumador, including the “Mayan Mule,” the “Sonoma Paloma,” the “Mexican Manhattan,” and the “El Fumador Fire.” El Macho is best enjoyed neat. Recipes for these original craft cocktails are available at www.contigotequila.com and www.elfumadortequila.com.

About Don Sebastiani & Sons

Don Sebastiani & Sons is a family-owned company rooted in the Sonoma Valley, with a winery in the Napa Valley. Since 1904, the family’s adventures have often included making and marketing products complementary to wine, and today, products range from wine to water and tequila, to pistachios, almonds, and cashews, all sourced from premier growing regions throughout the world. Natural, healthy beverages and foods to complement life’s special occasions and celebrations with family and friends. The company was recently named one of the Best Places to Work by the North Bay Business Journal for the fourth consecutive year.

Today, fourth-generation proprietor Donny Sebastiani is expanding his family’s vision to include other aspects of the “Mediterranean Diet” to create a “Happy Hour At Home”, with such products as:

• Small-lot, single-vineyard wines from Sonoma. Including Chardonnay grown on Donny Sebastiani’s home ranch.
• Premium, seasoned almonds, pistachios, almonds called U Gottabee Nutz.
• Organic flavored sparkling water: AquaJava, AquaMocha, and AquaKola.
• Craft 100% Blue Weber agave Tequilas grown and hand-made in Jalisco, Mexico: Contigo Plata, El Fumador Reposado, and El Macho Anejo.

For more information about the company, visit http://donsebastianiandsons.com.